Betting on Love
by Dawn Bently
Summary: The perfect love story of a man in love with a woman he hadn't won over, but a bet changed it all. James/Lily. Three-shot
1. Chapter 1

Author Note: First James/Lily story ever! Please Review!

So there she was, and yet she had no idea how she got there. Well, she knew, but she refused to believe it was true. With a heavy sigh, she raised her glass to her mouth and waited for the butter beer to wash away her anxiety. While she did her best to only focus on her heavy glass, she couldn't help but notice the blue eyes staring at her from across the table behind thin black wire frames. It wasn't so much his eyes, as it was his grin. It was that grin, the grin she'd loathed for six and a half years ever since the first day she'd seen it on the platform all those years ago.

"You gonna say anything, Lily?" He spoke first, as she knew he would but she simply shrugged him off. "Come on, you got yourself into this." He pointed out only making matters worse by reminding her exactly how she ended up there. It had been her own pride, or maybe it was just him and what he did to her and her otherwise faultless reasoning.

"Come on Evans! You promised! You can't go back on your word now!" The words haunted her in the back of her mind as she took another long drink from her glass. "You should've been in Slytherin if you can't keep a Gryffindor's honest word!" And those bad been the words that got her here, in the Three Broomsticks, sitting across from an all too eager James Potter, on a date, though she'd never admit it was a date. A social outing was the term she'd already decided upon to use when the time came to explain any sightings of them together alone, not arguing for once.

"You have to say something," James sighed as he looked at her.

"Your hair is messy." She commented before returning her gaze to her drink. As she peered up once more, she realized she had drunk her butter beer nearly twice as fast as James, a thought that was not comforting in the slightest.

"It's always messy." He replied, rolling his eyes. "I expected us to have a real conversation for once." He told her in a voice that sound as if he might be telling the truth… for once.

"Well that's just foolish," She responded. "We have nothing in common."

"Except that I am Head Boy and you are Head Girl, and therefore she share a Common Room." He pointed out as if he'd just won another argument, but the look on her face was one of defeat as it would've been had he actually won something.

"And that is precisely as far as our commonality runs." She pointed out, then James realized he'd fallen into one of her traps. In the first few years at Hogwarts he never thought her to be the girl to lay verbal traps, then gloat when they caught an unsuspecting victim, but then again he never actually paid attention to her until she bloomed into the amazing beautiful woman sitting before him. Perhaps, he thought, that was made her so sour towards him. It took beauty to catch his eyes instead of just her.

"And because we have nothing in common," Lily continued speaking when she noticed James' attention had come back to focus on her rather than her thoughts. "We should just call this a date and be over with it." Lily had risen to her feet, and turned on her heel. James only sighed as he dropped a few coins on the table then caught up to her, just as she exited the building.

"Now, now," James tried to put his arm around her shoulders, but Lily shrugged his arm off and moved away from him. "you promised an hour at least." He reminded her and Lily inwardly cursed herself for such an outrageous bet to wage against four fools.

"Well knowing you and the rest of your Mauraders, you won by cheating, you know, the way you love to conduct yourselves in everyday situations." Lily spat back at him, but the insult rolled off him like nothing. He simply walked beside her, not daring to touch her again for fear she might over react. She was walking faster than she did in the hallways at school, but he attributed it to her tension.

They continued down the snow covered path, not saying much. James wondered if there was any particular place she was heading, or if she was walking just walk, as if he would grow tired and stop coming with her. He noticed a few girls in their year walking past them as well. They were girls James had once been wildly attracted to, but that was well before Lily.

"I'm not going to get tired you know," He pointed out to her. "I play Quidditch. I don't get tired just walking, Lily." He reminded her, and she turned to glare at him, but the glare melts away when he rose an eyebrow.

"This would be a lot easier if you just talk to me, you know." He pointed out. "One date was all you agreed to, and yet here you are acting like it's the end of the world. Is it me that you're constantly mad at, or this just your wounded pride that you lost a bet against me?" He asked and watched as the green in her eyes intensify with rage. He could help but notice how much better she looked like that, when her eyes were perfectly off set with her perfect red hair and pale skin. Such a contrast she was compared to his dark hair and tan skin. He was tall, dark and handsome, whereas she was small, pale and beautiful. Opposites, yet in their own way almost perfect together.

"It's not as if you could ever start a normal conversation with me anyway, James." Lily pointed out. Her voice surprised James. While he hadn't noticed her until they were at least thirteen, he'd always argued with her until they were at least sixteen, and he knew when she was pushed to the limit outraged, and she certainly had that look about her now. But when she spoke, her voice did not betray her feelings. Instead her voice was rather clam and clear while her eyes remained shining with anger. She had even managed to say his name, something else he'd also paid great attention to.

"What is that supposed to mean?" James responded.

"It's always about you, James." Lily's voice sounded outraged again as she turned and started walking once more. James groaned knowing full well it was what he had said. He followed once more, only waiting for her to continue as he knew she would. "Everything is always about you. Every conversation you have is you, or something else that you like. We've been here for fifteen minutes, and all you've said has to do with you and your interests. Quidditch. Pranks. Brooms. And a million other childish things. Not once did you ask me about me, and yet you continue to delude yourself that this is-" Lily stopped herself before she let on the belief that they were currently on a date. How she was hate if the whole school sudden found its self entertained with the rumor that she and Potter were dating.

"A date?" James finished her rant for her at much lower volume than the one she had been yelling at him in.

"Yes," Lily snapped with a fiery force when she finally stopped pacing for the second time. She turned back to James, who for once, found himself at loss for words. For a silent moment they stared at each other, Lily with a look of complete outrage and annoyance, and James of slight guilt, though she had a feeling that his talent of lying also came with a talent for hiding true emotions or at least masking them to some varying degree.

"I'm sorry," James finally spoke first, just as she suspected for the second time. "You're right. Would you like to sit down somewhere and try again?"

"No, I don't but I know you'll never let me leave if I don't." Lily spoke with such honesty that James was taken back. "So just… pick somewhere."

James would've said something in response, but decided against it. Instead, he lead her to a nearby restaurant, and even held the door open for her to enter first, a gesture he hoped she would like. He wasn't quite yet sure if she was the girl that wanted a chair to be pulled out for her, the type to do it themselves. He supposed he'd find out soon enough.

They were seated and given menus, but before James could say anything, Lily was peering down at the menu. He was sure she'd pick the most expensive dish just for kicks, so he looked over at the cheaper meals just so his monthly spending fees wouldn't go over what he was allotted. The waitress returned, ready to orders. James allowed Lily to go first.

"I'll have a sandwich, no side, and just water." Lily ordered, before handing her the menu. When she looked to James, she found him staring at her with a look of complete shock. She didn't understand what he was thinking, so she simply looked away and waited for him to complete the order.

"What was that?" James looked to Lily and Lily rose and eye brow as she peered back at him.

"Are you referring to my choice in meals?"

"Yes," He nodded. "I thought for sure you would opt for far more expensive dishes just for the sheer amusement in it."

"Well, it's nice to know that you perceive me as a gold digging girl after nothing more than money." She replied.

"No," James responded, as he stared at her with confusion. "I just meant that you were very mad out there and I'm not the one to underestimate you when you're mad like that. That's all." He explained himself, but Lily choose not to respond. When their drinks were brought, Lily lifted her glass to her lips, and James followed her fingers the whole way before he looked his gaze to her emerald eyes.

"So," he spoke finally, breaking the silence, though that particular moment of silence was not the uncomfortable sort that was usually between the two. "Have you been reading anything interesting lately?"

Lily only stared at him for a moment. She was amazed at how sincere his voice sounded as he watched her. Even the look on his face showed sincerity, though she would never be sure if how he appeared was the truth or not.

"Yes," She finally answered, finding herself pleased that he had asked.

"What's it about?"

"It's nothing really." She shook her head as she looked down at the table.

"Well you said it was interesting, so it must be slightly more than nothing." James responded, still in his flawless sincere voice. Lily didn't look up to see if the sincerity was still in his face.

"It's not anything real. It's just a silly novel." She said, hoping he would not press for more information. Those hopes were crushed, and only because she had only moments before, insisted that he inquire about herself.

"About what?"

"It's a romance, James." Lily finally admitted as though it were something to be ashamed off. She looked up at him, and realized he was not the type to spend days in the library, so he must not have understood how mind numbingly foolish it was to read silly Romance novels when one would be perfect content to read a book on history or potions.

"That's surprising." James simply shrugged. He didn't care. In fact, he didn't understand why she cared so much. "Did your parents send it?"

"Yes." Lily nodded. "They send me things every month."

"That's nice." James spoke as he fingered the top of his glass. "You know, to have things that remind you of home. I imagine Hogwarts is quite a bit different from home for you."

"Yes," Lily agreed with a soft smile upon her lips. She hadn't noticed it, but James did. "It's two different worlds, and nobody understands the difficulty of living in them both."

"I can't imagine living without spells." James said as he looked at her.

"You'd be surprised how hard it is to live without a telephone." She responded, then laughed at how confused he'd suddenly become. "Relying on birds is so old fashion, and it's witches and wizards relied on their magic so much, they forgot to evolve their own methods." James only nodded along as he gathered that a telephone was some sort of Muggle device used for communication.

Their dishes arrived, and much to their surprise, the rest of the hour passed with ease. Though it hadn't been a perfect date, it was certainly much smoother than either had expected, after the disastrous start.

When the two arrived back at Hogwarts, she insisted she leave him to meet with her friends, and assumed he would run along to find Sirius, Remus, and Peter. She walked down the long corridor until she reached the library. As she entered, she made her way to the back table to find a girl reading casually with no study aids or homework out. Her feet were propped up on the chair next to her, and her bag was on the table in front of her.

"Paige." Lily said as she knocking the girl's feet to the ground and took the chair. Paige sat up straight and stared at Lily before she marked her page and put the book down.

"Is there any particular reason you just did that?" She asked as she turned to face Lily. Only then did she realize the day. "how was your date with-"

"It wasn't a date. It was a social outing." Lily corrected before the sentence could even be completed. "And it was… it was rocky at first, but then smoothed out towards the end." She explained as she reached out to look at Paige's book, but Paige had slid it over without even casting a spell.

"That's mine." She warned.

"One day, you'll get caught using illegal magic you know." Lily warned as she leaned back in her seat.

"That wasn't illegal."

"No, but you could just as easily cast illegal spells. It's the ones who don't need wands that most at risk for such temptations." Lily stared Paige straight in the eye. Paige only leaned forward and looked at Lily.

"Maybe you should try it sometimes," She invited. "Let loose a little Lils. You'll have fun on the other side, I promise." Paige laughed as she leaned back once more, to prop her legs up on the desk. "Besides, you're stronger than I am. You could do anything of these easily."

"Perhaps," Lily shrugged as she turned away from only of her only true friends left.

"You've changed in the last few years, you know." Paige commented. "I remember you were also so… sour towards James and his little friends. And then all of a sudden, you came back, and you looked twice as good as all those other girls he'd always wanted and suddenly you changed. I mean you were still sour but you enjoyed being sour."

"I do hope there's some long lost point to all of this." Lily commented, staring at Paige, who was wearing a grin that reminded Lily all too much of James.

"Yes, there is in fact, and had you not been so blinded when it comes to this one guy, you would've seen it already." Paige responded with an answer that also reminded her of her Head Boy counterpart. Lily had always though Paige should've been in Ravenclaw but now that she was successfully reminding Lily of the all little mind tricks, she felt Gryfinndor was a nice fit. Now it was herself whom she thought belonged in another house.

"Well then enlighten me," Lily sighed and rolled her eyes. She noticed Paige had started to pack her things and rise to her feet. After Paige snatched her book from the table, Lily rose to her feet and followed her out of the library.

"I think," Paige started to speak, then paused to turn back to Lily, just as the two caught sight of three juvenile boys, plus Remus, sneaking off probably to cause somebody harm. "You rather like James just like every other brainless girl here, though you're probably the only one with at least half a brain." Paige pointed out as the two stared at James. Lily had started to protest, but she saw James whip his wand out and lead his minions towards a tree where Lily caught sight of Severus sitting as he read.

"Severus!" Lily yelled as she ran out to the courtyard.

"Lily!" Paige groaned, as she watched, but eventually followed her. Paige saw James cast a spell, and before Lily could get there, Severus had ended up floating in the air, all his things strewn out of the grass.

"James Potter!" James heard his voice, and instantly recognized the voice. He had planned to do more to their little friend Senvilus Snape, but before he could even dream of it, he turned back to see Lily storming towards him, her friend Paige close behind.

"Lily, I-"

"Shut up, Potter!" She yelled at him as she pushed him as hard as she could. James fell back onto the grass, and his wand slipped out from his grasp, causing Severus to fall to the ground with a thump. When Lily turned back, she watched the other three Maurauders back away as if it concerned them little. Thankfully, Paige was nearby to send them each a stare that made it clear they certainly were no exceptions.

"Lily!" James groaned as he sat up. "What was that for! I was going to put him down!"

"You shouldn't have lifted him up in the first place!" She yelled at him before she went to Severus, but he turned away from any help she tried to give him. All she could do was lift his wand from the grass and hold it out to him after he collected his books. "Severus, I-" She started but He whipped his wand away and stormed off before anything else could be said.

"Lily," Paige called her when she only stared at the spot where her once best friend had just been standing. Though it was through his own choice that they were no longer friends, she couldn't help the urge to reach out to him, even once in a while.

"Lily," James called her, and she finally turned around. "I don't know why you liked him so much, anyway."

"Is that supposed to be an excuse, Potter?" She snapped back at him, just as she remembered Paige's comment only minutes before.

"You were still sour, but you enjoyed it." The words haunted her much like the way the Maruaders had blackmailed her into a social outing with James Potter. Then as she stood before James ready with a sarcastic remark, she couldn't help to agree that she did enjoy bantering with the vile arrogant creature. She never admit it aloud, but once she saw James' grin and Paige's smile and had a feeling she'd smiled and didn't even notice it.

"Oh come on Lily!" James called out as Lily started to walk away from him and join Paige off to the side. "We have to do rounds together! We might as well make up now or rounds are gonna be worse!" He called out to her, but she continued on her way with Paige on her side. He continued to watch the two girls walk away, as if silently hoping she'd turn back to look at him, but instead, Sirius got a glance back from Paige.

"Sorry, man." Sirius laughed as he pated James on the back. "Better luck next time."


	2. Chapter 2

"So what are you going to do tonight?" Paige asked as she and Lily sat in Lily's Head Dormitory Common Room. They were sharing the couch directly in front of her fire. Paige turned towards Lily, who stared back at her confused.

"I'm doing my rounds."

"I know that. I meant with James." Paige responded, rolling her eyes. Before Lily could respond, one of the logs sifted in the fire, but before Lily even moved to stop it, Paige had her hand out. Lily only watched, without protest, as Paige lifted the flaming log and set it towards the back of the fireplace, before she lowered her hand to her side once more.

"I don't know. He's going to be there, I guess." Lily shrugged.

Paige let out a sigh as she put her head back. "You do realize he's going to want to talk to you about your date, right?" Paige asked, ignoring Lily's insisting that it was nothing more than a social outing. When she was finished, Paige picked up her head and continued to stare at Lily, refusing to correct herself.

"I don't know," Lily finally answered. "He can't honestly believe that I'd date him, can he?" She asked looking to Paige, who only shrugged.

"I can give you my totally honest opinion, if you'd like, but whatever I say, is what I say and I'm not changing it to fit your delusions." Paige warned as she and Lily stared at each other.

"Fine," Lily agreed, rolling her eyes. "What?"

"I think he honestly likes you for you, and not just as a girl to sleep with, and I think you like him too. I will admit that he was a bit of growing up to do, but he's not nearly as bad as you make him out to be. If you just give him a chance Lily, I'm sure he's perfectly capable of sitting down with you and just talking. Sirius is very serious once you manage to separate him from all the other boys." Paige spoke from personal experience as she stared down at the fire.

"I forgot about you two," Lily commented, silently hoping Paige would drop any conversation regarding her and James. "How has that been going?"

"Surprisingly well," Paige answered. "He's very sweet, despite what you might think of him."

"Hey Lily!" James called as he entered the common room. Lily didn't bother turning back, but much to her displeasure, Paige did. "Hey Paige. I didn't know you were here. I thought you and Sirius were meeting somewhere."

"We are." Paige shrugged. "Might as well make him wait."

Lily laughed as Paige got to her feet. Lily followed her to the painting exit, but before she left, she turned back. With a wave of her hand, her books floated across the room and into her arms. "I wish you wouldn't do that so much," lily warned her but Paige shrugged and exited the room without another word.

"Lily," James said as she Lily turned back to him. Lily didn't say anything, but she continued to stare at him, so he spoke again. "Are you coming with me for the rounds?" He asked something so basic because he hadn't expected her silence.

"Yes," She answered simply before walking past him and heading towards the stairs that lead up to her bedroom.

"Uh… Lily," James called once more as he turned to look up at her. Lily turned as well and peered down at him, waiting for him to speak once more. "I'm sorry."

"While there are a million things you could be apologizing for, I'm sure you only have one or two specific things in mind." Lily responded.

"For making Snape fly." James responded. "And do cartwheels in the sky."

"You're so clever, James." Lily told him sarcastically before she entered her bedroom and shut the door behind her. She immediately leaned back against the wall, as she thought about all of Paige's theories. Lily knew it was simply coincidence that soon after Paige makes Lily realize she rather enjoys hating James, that Lily suddenly can't insult him as easily as she once had in the past.

Lily stayed leaned up against that wall for a good ten minutes, until she head James' bedroom door close on the other side of the Common Room. When she peered over to the side of her bed, she saw that she still had another hour before her rounds with James began. Slowly, she crept out of her bedroom, grabbed her things from the table, and left the room as quietly as possible.

She continued down the corridor until she reached one of the main hallways where she found some students out while they still had time. The majority of them were students in their seventh year spending time with their friends. Usually, she would've gone to the library, but she felt it would've been an all too easy location to find her in should James want to see her earlier than their rounds. Instead, she snuck out to the grounds, and unusual opportunity since Dumbledore has been more and more concerned about growing threats of Voldermolt's power.

Lily had found a place to sit just beneath a tree by the side of the lake, when she spotted a couple by the edges of the forest. She had started to rise to her feet to stop them, as Had Girl should, but then she realized exactly who they were. She only watched from a distance as Sirius tucked one of Paige's long black locks behind her ear, his hand resting on her cheek afterward. Still cradling her cheek, he leaned in to capture her lips in his. Slowly, they took steps backward until Sirius had Paige pinned between his muscular body and the tree trunk of the nearest tree.

After the kiss ended, Lily watched as Paige turned and started to lead the way between the trees, Sirius following with one hand on the small of her back, until they finally disappeared into the darkness of the Forbidden Forest. Under any other circumstances, Lily would've been responsible and stopped them, or called for a teacher, but all she did was watch as her best friend attempted to have one moment alone with the one person she wants it with. Such a moment, she knew, was hard to find for most people.

"Lily," She heard her voice called by a familiar voice, but she turned back, she did not see James waiting for her. She turned around again, but still caught not sight of his messy black mop on top of his head. "Up here," He spoke again, and Lily turned her head up to see him hovering above her on his broomstick. "I thought you were in your room." He commented.

"I came out for fresh air," She responded as he slowly landed in front of her. She wasn't sure if she was glad to see him or not, but before she had the chance to decide, he pulled her to her feet.

"Well I came out here to find Sirius but I guess he and Paige already left somewhere."

"They went-" Lily started but stopped, hoping James hadn't heard her at all.

Unfortunately, he did. "Where?" James asked as he looked around.

"Into the forest," Lily finally responded, knowing she wouldn't hear the end of it. She tried to look away, but out of the corner of her eyes she saw James staring at her with a jaw hanging open.

"Miss Lily Evans, Head Girl, let two students wander into the Forbidden Forest all on their lonesome?" James teased and Lily immediately regretted saying anything at all. "Why Lily are we slipping up on our duties as a Head Student?"

"Shut up James," Lily told him as she turned on her heel and started to walk away. It wasn't until her back was turned that she realized she had been calling him by his first name. She knew he noticed as well, because she could practically hear that same grin on his face when he spoke.

"Come on Lily. Join us on the other side. I'm sure Paige enjoys herself." James, in fact, did have that same grin attached to his lips as he watched her storm away from him, her long dark red hair sweeping across her back as she climbed the slight incline to reach the castle. He would've gone after her once more, but figured there was only a half hour left before they started their rounds, so he would talk to her then when she had to stick around for a bit longer than a moment.

**

"Lily?" James called as he walked into the Common Room from is bedroom, surprised to see her already in her robes as she stared down into the fire. He walked down the staircase and neared her, all while tying the top of his robe. "Are you ready?"

"Yes," Lily answered, though she didn't turn around yet. James was already at the exit waiting for her.

"Well… aren't you coming?" James asked, slightly confused.

"Just wait a bit." Lily told him. "What happened to your patience, James?" She asked as she finally glanced over her shoulder to look at him.

"Is there anything in particular that we're waiting for?" James asked.

"Yes."

"What might it be?"

"We're making sure Paige and Sirius had enough time to get back so we don't have to give them detention." She replied dryly as she turned back to the fire. She sighed softly as she continued to stare into the fire. She silently waited for him to tease her once more, but it never came. Instead, she turned back to see he had taken a seat in front of the fire.

"You have nothing to say?" She questioned. "Half an hour ago you found yourself delighted in my obvious disregard of the rules for friends."

"Well, I mean I understand, even if it is you." James responded with a slight shrug. "You may have very little in common with everyone around you, but you're still Gryffindor, Lily, and nothing in Gryffindor code says anything about truthful, only courage. I'm sure this is biting at you anyway."

"Why do you insist you know me so well?" Lily groaned as she turned away from him, attempting to determine if they had given their friends enough time. After a few more moments of silence, she moved to the door way and turned back to James.

"Are we leaving now?"

"We're starting with the Hufflepuff Dormitories." She announced as she opened the door. That particular house was the farthest from the Gryffindor house, except for SLytherin, but Lily didn't want to catch Severus either. James only followed her out of the room and shut the door behind them.

"You've been nicer today," James commented as he walked beside her, shortening his strides so she didn't feel like she had to keep up with him. "You actually used my first name, for instance."

"If you keep being annoying that will revert back to your last name." She warned.

"Has Paige ever met your parents?" James changed the subject with a completely sincere question that only irritated her because he was sincere.

"No," She sighed with a shake of her head. "my sister doesn't like magic, so my parents never let her come over the holidays."

"I'm sorry." James replied. "Sirius practically lives with me now," James laughed as he turned to Lily, surprised to see a smile across her small but perfect lips. The smaller hairs around her face were wrapping around her chin, and he wanted to reach out to move them away, but he resisted the urge.

"Shh." A hushed whisper was heard by both Heads as they passed a hallway coming off of the main corridor. James and Lily automatically turned to walk down the hallway, expecting to find two third years out for the thrill of it. Instead, James and Lily found themselves grimacing at the sight of their best friends locked in an intimate position.

"Stop that," Lily scowled at them, and Sirius immediately jumped back from Paige. She groaned as she rolled her eyes and looked away, shaking her head.

"Don't be like that, Lils," Paige told her. "You knew we were out.

"Yeah, I saw you go into the forest." She replied as she whipped around, " and we started on this side of the castle so we wouldn't have to get you two detention."

"James won't give us detention," Sirius pointed out. "At least not me, but then again he won't give Paige one either just cause he likes you, even though you're not even nice to him."

"Ok," James stepped in, before Lily drew the attention of any Prefects to them. The last thing James wanted was anybody watching as the two Head Students let their friends bend the rules to their liking. It wasn't so much that he wouldn't want the bad reputation, but that he didn't want to upset Lily.

"Just go back, now." James told them as he looked at Sirius, then turned to Paige, but only briefly. "And no stops on the way."

"You're a killjoy." Sirius told him before he put his arm around Paige and the two turned to walk away.

"Hey," James called them. "Don't take the long way." He said as he motioned in the other direction.

"We'll go straight there." Paige called back, but the couple didn't turn back to walk the way James had suggested. He rolled his eyes and turned to continue their rounds, but Lily watched as Paige wrapped her arm around Sirius, while they walked. Sirius bent down and put a sweet kiss on her forehead, pulling a soft laugh out from her lips, and for a brief moment, it appeared as if Sirius truly cared for Lily's best friend. Sirius, the same boy who ran through girls as fast as James, actually truly caring for one single girl, was not a thought Lily was by any means accustomed to.

"You ok?" James asked.

"Yeah, just thinking." Lily replied as she finally turned away from Sirius and Paige, who looked as if anything short of a deadly fight couldn't ruin their night together.

"Ok," James didn't press for any more information, feeling as if he were getting closer and closer to winning her over. "You know that ball is coming up, right?" he reminded her of the Winter Ball that occurred just before they were allowed to go home for winter holidays.

"Yes," Lily responded, but she didn't say anything else about the matter, assuming he would keep talking about what he always wanted to talk about anyway.

"Well, are you going?"

"No."

"You don't have to have a date, you know." He told her.

"Why do you assume it's because I don't have a date?" Lily snapped and he instantly wished he hadn't said that sentence.

"I don't assume you don't have a date, Lily. I just figured that any guy who thought you'd actually go with them, was probably extremely not handsome." James replied, doing his best to make up for his misstep.

"Are you going?" She asked the obvious.

"Yes."

"With anyone?'

"No." He shook his head. "I thought about it, but I figured it was a masked ball so I might as well enjoy anonymity."

"So how will you charm every girl if all your looks are hiding behind a mask and all that's left is your personality?" Lily replied, proud that she finally made a good insult against him, even though it made her feel bad inside.

"You underestimate my charm simply because you can't look past whatever it is that you don't like about me." James responded, the words just sliding off of him once more. That was probably the quality she disliked about him so much. He never cared, whereas she felt as if caring was all she did.

"Even if I were to go, James, you wouldn't recognize me."

"I'd recognize you from miles away." He protested. "No girl in this school could ever look the way you do."

"You wouldn't be able to see my face." She reminded him, silently enjoying the flattery.

"I'd recognize you, still."

"Really?" She challenged.

"Yes."

"So if we were both to go to the Ball, but I got there before you, and you didn't see my dress or anything, you'd recognize me and charm me before midnight when we remove our masks?" Lily rose an eye brow at him.

"Yes."

She knew they were close to making another bet, and all she could remember was the outcome of the last bet she'd made with him, but this was different. There was simply no possible way he could pick her out of hundreds of girls looking their very best for one single night, she thought. But she also could not stop the memory of their last bet that she had lost.

"Fine, Lily," he spoke. "If I find you and you are the girl in my arms when it's midnight, what do I win?"

"Name your price." Such a risky move on her part, but perhaps this was a bet she didn't mind losing.

"A kiss."

"Fine."

"A real kiss. That lasts." He refined his earlier demand. Less fine, but still acceptable.

"And if I'm not the one you picked?" Lily replied.

"Then," James paused as he stared at her. "Then I'll stop trying to win you over."

Lily rose an eye brow as she looked at him. That had been what she'd always wanted, until very recently when she felt horrible about insulting him and actually enjoyed that single conversation she'd had with him. It was all Paige's fault she deduced, since none of this started until Paige had the insane notion that Lily enjoyed disliking James. Yes, in fact she did, and yet now she could no longer indulge in such past times. No, no Lily was fighting real romantic feelings for the king of immaturity.


	3. Chapter 3

"I hate this," Lily exclaimed as she and Paige walked the streets of Hogsmead in search of a last minute dress and matching mask for Lily.

"No you don't. You would've said no to this, but you like him." Paige said another one of those things that Lily felt would come back to haunt her at the worst moment possible. She could already see it happening in her head. James would've found her without problem at all, and she would've recognized him because he refused to comb his mop. He would've tried to kiss her and she would've let him and all because when she was ready to protest, Paige's words would haunt her.

"I hate this." Lily groaned once more, but this time referring to her prediction of the Ball, though Paige attributed it to the shopping, a task Lily didn't enjoy either. When she peered up, she realized Paige had found a dress shop and dragged her into it.

"We need the perfect dress." Paige said, making her way towards the rack with the short dresses. Lily stayed off to the side, only watching.

"Maybe I should wear something ugly so he won't come near me." Lily offered as she spotted a ghastly orange dress in the corner of the shop, complete with green ruffles and blue flowers.

"No," Paige shook her head as she turned back to Lily, shaking her head. "You'll wear something perfect."

"I won't wear a short dress." Lily protested.

"It won't be cold."

"It's so…" Lily shrugged as she looked at the rack of dresses. "I don't know, I just don't feel like short dresses is something for me."

"You're right," Paige agreed with a smile on her face that Lily instantly recognized. IT was a smile that she had to have learned from her boyfriend, or maybe even Lily's future boyfriend, but she had only referred to him as that once and it was in her own private thoughts.

It wasn't until Paige started to walk across the shop, did Lily turn to see the dress she had spotted. Lily felt like resisting. She wanted more than anything to protest and to just concede and not go to the Ball at all, but that dress was something she'd never seen before.

It wasn't magically charmed the way most dresses were. In fact, most of the dresses left at such short notice were not charmed since all the charmed once had been bought specifically for the ball. When Paige brought it over to Lily, she saw that it reached her toes perfectly, if she wore small heels. The dress was a deep emerald color, and had no designs on it, only because it needed nothing. It was simple and elegant, the two words Paige heard most often to describe Lily. The green matched the shade of Lily's eyes, and matched her hair in a perfect harmonizing way.

"I'd need a mask, Paige." Lily told her as the two stared at the most perfect dress. Paige nodded in agreement before a smile illuminated her face.

"Leave that to me."

"Are you sure?" Lily asked looking at the dress. "This has to be so expensive."

"I'll cover what you can't." Paige offered. "You know you want this, Lily. I will admit that James was a total prick in the beginning, but he's changed. You know he's changed. Just let him catch you already."

Lily would've protested as much as he heart could handle, but she didn't want to anymore.

**

"The Ball is tonight." James spoke, breaking the comfortable silence of their Common Room. Lily peered up from her text book to look at him.

"I'm well aware." She responded before looking down again. She was smiling. She could feel that she was smiling, and she knew there was no possible way he had missed the smile. She was reading, but she could hear him cross the room and take and seat beside her.

"Are you ready to make me un-notice you?" He asked as he watched her read, so focused on what she was doing that it brought about a different look in her face.

"Shouldn't you be with your friends?" Lily replied as she peered up at him, shocked to see his face was mere inches from hers, but she didn't dare move away. Her heart had started to beat just a bit faster, and she enjoyed it fully. "Paige will be here any moment to kick you out and send you away, then I'll get dressed and be on my way. Only when she sends for the four Mauraders will you be allowed into the Great Hall." Lily explained the full plan of how the bet would be executed so that she will be in the Great Hall, dressed and disguised before he was.

"Perhaps I should, but I rather enjoy sitting just right here." James told her, his hot breath hitting her lips in a way that finally made her understand why every other girl in the school went nearly insane, desperate to touch him. She supposed she had always been bias, holding his past, childish behavior against him, because the man that sat before her hadn't been as childish as the boy in her memories, if she over looked the occasional prank and bad intended spell.

"You should get dressed." She told him.

"I think you should go into your room to hide while I get dressed. I wouldn't want you to know how I look, but I can't get a single glimpse of you." He explained his reasoning. "I think you should be wondering whose arms you wind up in at the end of the night as well."

"This bet wasn't about whether or not I could find you." She replied, only because she wanted to keep him there just a moment longer. James leaned in once more, a sweet smile across his face as he playfully banter with the woman he had no idea he'd already won.

"Well I wouldn't want you staring at me all night giving it away, otherwise there's no chase." He sighed as he looked into her bright green eyes.

"Fine, James. I'll wait in my room while you change." She agreed as she rose to her feet. He rose up as well and followed her to the stairs that lead to her bedroom door. To her surprise he followed her up, walking her all the way up to her bedroom. She opened the door, but turned back to him before she entered. "Call for me just before you leave so I know I can come back out."

"Ok," he agreed. "I'll see you in a bit then, in the Great Hall. Of course you won't know it was my dazzling charms and wit that had won you over until midnight when my good looks take over."

Lily laughed and smiled, much to his surprise. He was expecting her to call himself absorbed and refer to him by last name, but instead he heard to infectious sound of her melodic laughter. "I'll see you then," She finally whispered back to him before she walked into her bedroom and shut the door behind her.

Immediately, she sunk to the ground, a smile branded to her face as she thought about James, in a way she swore she never would. At the same time, James rushed across the Common Room and up the stairs to get to his bedroom. He changed quickly, but stopped to look at himself in the mirror. He made sure he looked his very best for the night he would finally have the girl he'd wanted for two years.

While he'd spent so long chasing after her, he felt only a little sad that he the chase would end. He knew that feeling would pass for the moment he knew for a fact that it was Lily in his arms, nothing else would matter. He would take her lips in his and kiss her in a way she had never been kissed before, and his remorse over the end of the chase would be far from his mind for the prize is far greater than the chase.

After he was finished, he exited his room and walked towards the door of the Common Room. "lily!" He yelled for her.

"Yes?" Came her voice from the other side of the door.

"I'm leaving now. You can come out!" He yelled to her. He waited until he heard the turning of the door knob to escape from her view. Lily stepped out of the Common Room just in time to see the Common Room door close behind him, successfully hiding his disguise from her.

It was only a few more minutes before Paige came into the Head Common Room, already dressed in a sapphire colored dressed that fell to her knees. She was holding two masks in her hands, one that was dark blue, matching her dress, but the other was the mask Lily assumed Paige had promised her.

"Ready for this?" Paige asked as she looked to Lily, who was still smiling from her previous encounter with James.

"Yes," Lily nodded and the two girls escaped to Lily's bedroom.

**

She stood there, motionless. She knew she was all alone in that Great Hall even though hundreds of her classmates were standing before her watching as the mysterious beauty made her way into the Great Hall, one slow nervous step at a time. There were so many people around her and yet she felt all alone and out of her element. She knew Paige was on her way with Sirius, and James, while Remus and Peter were arriving with their dates probably at the same time or soon after. Everyone who she felt remotely comfortable with was away and she was deserted in a mass of masked people she knew but didn't recognize.

As she waited, listening to the beat her heart created in her ears, she could help but wonder if Paige had made her stand out just a bit too much. She hadn't thought so when she looked herself in the mirror, but now that every time she turned she found male eyes falling on her, she wished she could look in a mirror again. She had said the mask was too much, but she had no other choice. The mask was pearl color with emeralds that lined the edges, but two large emeralds were in the corners of the mask that curved up around her eyes.

Lily objected little to what Paige did to her hair, simply because by then she was too drunk on the idea of dancing with James, had he managed to find her the way he promised he would. How broken she would be if she found herself in the arms of another at the stroke of midnight. Or rather, how broken that girl would be should she find herself in the arms of James at the stroke of midnight.

She took in one more shaky breath as she desperately hoped James had arrived. Every time she looked around, she hoped she would find Sirius holding Paige so lovingly, meaning James had arrived as well, but James could have come running as soon as he knew she was waiting. He would come as soon as he could, would he?

As Lily turned her head, she felt the curls in her hair brush her bare back until the top of the dress got in the way. She wore nothing else in her hair, or on her hands or neck. No jewelry, no flowers, no hair accessories. She was plain, and positively elegant in her dress. It made her wonder was she was attracting such attention when so many other girls looked perfectly ornamented in beautiful jewelry and done up hair styles, while she was plain, the way she always looked just in a dress and mask. It made her wonder if all it was, was the mask hiding who she was. Had the mask not been in place, she wouldn't be attracting such attention, she told herself.

That thought only lead to another, but one focusing on James. He had always said she was beautiful, even in school robes, when her hair was tied back as messily as possible, while it took all the other boys in the school a dress to see her as what she could be. It only made her wish for James' presence even more.

"May I have this dance with you?" A voice spoke from behind her. She froze for a moment as she tried to recognize the voice, but she couldn't. She turned back to see a man who seemed the appropriate height to be James, holding out his hand waiting for her to place her hand in his. Having nothing else to say, Lily nodded and placed her delicate hand in his.

His hand was calloused, which seemed fitting since James spent the majority of his time gripped a broomstick, either for Quidditch, or for cleaning when he got detention. He lead her towards the dance floor with as much grace as she would have expected from James, but she had to keep up with his long strides. She always noticed that James shortened his strides to fit her, instead of making her quicken her strides to fit him. He couldn't have been James.

She danced with him as long as she could bear the idea of another man's hands on her body, then escaped at the first opportunity. She began to wander around once more, until a second man approached her. The first words out of his mouth gave him away for his voice was not nearly deep enough to be James'. A third came towards her with a smile she didn't recognize, and a fourth was too short. It seemed every male in the school had attended the Ball except her James.

"Excuse me," a male voice whom she assumed would become the fifth failure of hers that night spoke from behind her. She continued to pour herself a cup of juice before she turned back to see a tall man before her. He was the right height, and his shoulders were broad enough.

"Yes?"

"Would you like to step out for a moment?" He asked simply, without offering her his hand or even his arm. She rather liked that about him, just in case he were not James after all.

"I would love to." She nodded as she followed him out of the Great Hall. She took one last glimpse back, hoping she was not removing herself from James' sight by leaving, even momentarily.

"I couldn't help but notice you move from one boy to another, all night." He commented. "Might you be looking for someone specific?"

"Perhaps." She answered before taking a sip of her juice.

"What else are you looking for?" He inquired.

"Someone to recognize me." She answered truthfully. She didn't know what it was, but her heart started to flutter at his voice.

"I recognized you the moment I arrived." He announced. Lily peered up at him, looking at his black mask lined with red ribbon that covered the top half of his face. His dress robes were otherwise generic for they appeared just as every other boy's in the entire Great Hall.

"If you recognized me, why didn't you approach me sooner?" She questioned, desperate to know if it was James standing before her.

"This will be the last dance before midnight," He explained as he motioned to the nearby entrance of the Great Hall. "Would you care to share it with me?" He asked as he peered down at her. He asked her to share the last dance of the night with her, then it would be midnight, and everyone would remove their masks. She had to decide if she was willing to give this significant dance to the man beside her. Because she only had a few moments to decide, she held her hand out to him for him to take, and he lead her back into the Great Hall.

It was only a moment before they were on the dance floor, in each other's arms, swaying back and forth to the music. After the first minute, she relaxed in his arms and let her eyes drift shut as she rested her head on his chest. He smelled of sweet vanilla, but she had never been close enough to James to really know what he smelled of. How she wished she had hugged him before he left to see his friends.

Before long the chime echoed throughout the Hall and the music came to a melodic end. Lily felt her heart stop as Dumbledore announced the time was midnight. Everyone knew what midnight was. Midnight was the moment of truth. Lily stepped back out of her partner's arms to look up at him. He hadn't moved to reveal himself yet, and neither had she. Everyone around them was in the process, and as she peered around, she did not see any girl over excited to find themselves in the arms of the man that she eagerly wanted to call hers.

"Go ahead, Lily," The man said her name, drawing her eyes back to him immediately. Her lips were parted in surprise as she stared at him, in utter shook. Then she remember he had warned her that he recognized her from the moment he arrived, but she had thought it nothing more than a line.

"You can take mine off for yourself." He told her as he grinned, but it wasn't just any grin, it was the grin she loathed, but had grown to like in recent days. He lowered his head enough so that she could untie the red ribbon in the back of his head, until the mask fell loose in her hands. When he stood back up again, a grinning, triumphing James stared down at her in victory. Before she said a thing, he carefully untied the white ribbon of her mask, all while holding her gaze.

"I assured you I would find you, did I not?" James asked as he bent down to put their foreheads together. Lily found she rather liked the feeling of James being so close to her. It had been one thing to hold onto him when she wasn't yet sure, but knowing it was him made everything feel so much more perfect.

"Aren't you going to claim your prize for proving me wrong yet again?" She challenged as she looked into his eyes.

"Not here." He answered. "That can wait until were alone," He breathed in her ear as he leaned forward. He put his arms around her waist to draw her near once more, and in response, Lily put her arms around his neck.

"I thought you weren't going to find me." She admitted as she whispered into his ear. She heard him laugh as he hugged her tighter.

"You were the most beautiful woman in the room. How could I have not found you?" he replied with such sincerity it nearly melted her to him at that moment. "My only trouble was separating you from all the other guys that couldn't wait to talk to you. You drew far too much attention to yourself, I'm afraid."

"Sorry," She laughed to him.

"Don't be sorry for your flawless beauty." James responded, threading his fingers through her dark red hair at the base of her skull. The two, still standing close, had hardly noticed that the students were already starting to make their way out of the Great Hall.

"Guys," Sirius called for them, but it took James a long moment before he could tear his eyes off of the willing beauty standing in his arms. He finally peered up to see Sirius and Paige waiting for the new couple in the now empty door way. James looked down at Lily who turned to start walking. James walked at her side, his arm wrapped around her waist lightly.

It took a few minutes before James and Lily made it to their Common Room. James let her enter first, then shut the door behind him. Lily automatically sat down on the couch in front of the fire, and James took the seat beside her. As he watched her, he noticed she was still looking down at his black mask in her slender fingers.

"You can keep it," he told her as he slowly put his arm around her shoulders. Lily turned to look at his hand on her other shoulder, then looked to James with a smile on her face, bringing a smile to his face as well.

"Thank you," She whispered as she looked up at him and he only nodded.

"I trust you remember the stakes, no?" He asked, raising an eyebrow at her.

"Of course I remember." She answered softly as she continued to look him in the eye. "A kiss. A real kiss."

"Yes," He nodded, "A real kiss, and maybe after that you shall be convinced I am the perfect man for you."

"Then kiss me, James, as if I don't already know that." She replied and watched as his eyes lit up, while his lips remained parted. She waited anxiously for him to lean in and kiss her lips in a way she had never been kissed before, as he had phrased it before.

He slowly moved his arm from around her shoulders so that his hand was on the back of her neck, his fingers twisting in her red curls at the base of her head. His other hand moved to her waist, while her arms wrapped around his neck. James wanted to just kiss her, ravish her and take in as much as he could as fast as he could, but he wanted their first kiss to be soft and romantic. Instead, he leaned in slowly so their foreheads touched first.

"James," Lily breathed his name and it made him want her so much more. Just hearing his names fall from her lips in such a seductive way drove him insane. "Please James, kiss me." She begged for his lips, something he had no expected in the slightest, but he lost all control knowing she wanted him as bad as he wanted her.

Unleashing two years of passion for her, he devoured her lips in a frantic kiss as he held onto her tightly, pulling her body against his. He felt her arms tighten around his neck as she kissed him back with as much desperation as he kiss her with. Just the feel of her body pressed against his, probably as willing as he needed a girl to be, made him want her in every way possible, but he couldn't. Not to Lily.

"Lily, no." James forced himself back from her. "No. I can't."

"James," Lily said his name, and he saw the betrayal in her eyes. She hadn't understood.

"No, Lily," James pulled her close once more, holding her as tight as he could. "Oh Lily, I've loved you for so long. We can't rush into this. You won't just treat you like every other girl." He shook his head as he placed a kiss on her forehead.

Lily nodded softly as she looked up into his eyes. "Promise me one thing, James."

"Anything, my love." James responded as he put a soft delicate kiss on her cheek.

"You'll stay with me tonight? Lay with me." She requested.

"I-" James started but stopped.

"I want you to hold me James."

"Yes," He breathed as he smiled at her. "Yes, Lily. Every night. I'll hold you ever night you want me there. Forever."


End file.
